Method for producing simulated hand-split shakes



June 6, 1961 1 B. DENNISON 2,987,088 METHOD FOR PRODUCING SIMULATED HANlS-SPLIT SHAKES Filed Aug. 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. LEE. B. DENN\SON Fae-3 4M BY June 6, 1961 B. DENNISON METHOD FOR PRODUCING SIMULATED HAND-SPLIT SHAKES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 29, 1958 INVENTOR. LEE B. DENMSON United States Patent Ofice 2,987,088 Patented June 6, 1961 2,987,088 METHOD FOR PRODUCING SIMULATED HAND-SPLIT SHAKES Lee B. Dennison, 405 Scott St., Bend, Orcg. Filed Aug. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 758,008 2 Claims. (Cl. 144-326) The present invention is the process for producing simlated hand-split shakes from machine-formed shingles or tapered shakes.

To more easily grasp the scope of the present invention, it should be remembered that I may employ the terms shingles and machine shakes interchangeably to designate a piece conventionally termed a shingle which has a thick butt-end portion and tapers progressively to a feather edge or thin end portion, and these terms are used irrespective of the size or thickness of the piece.

For improvement of the esthetic qualities, it is customary to score or wipe the face or surface of machine shakes adapted to be applied to the outside wall of a structure. There are a number of methods commonly in use today for such purpose, but in each of these methods, whether using a rotating planer head with undulating or jagged teeth or a stiff wire brush for removing the softer portions of the wood, it is customary to treat the full side face of the shingle, thus resulting in a very ragged and splintery feather or thin end portion. This results in an increase in split shingles which are then less desirable for an outside finish of a building wall. When the smaller split shingles are not used, a considerable increase in waste is noted, thus materially reducing the profit in a commercial application, and otherwise increasing the cost.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to employ a process which results in the scoring of the weather surface of a machine shake, that is, the butt end portion, without scoring or mutilating the thin end portion thereof. Yet another object of the present invention lies in the provision of an apparatus by means of which the aforesaid process may be accomplished to automatically and economically produce simulated hand-split shakes from machine produced shingles.

These and other important objects of the invention will become apparent to the reader duringa study of the following specification when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts.

In the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed along with the sequential steps of the process:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of my improved apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal vertical cross section taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 2--2 of FIGURE 1; e I

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the pressure foot of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentaryelevation taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 5-5 of FIGURE 1 and having a portion broken away for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical fragmentary elevation taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view in vertical cross section takensubstantially on the plane indicated by line 7-7 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary side elevation taken substantially on the plane indicated by line 8-8 of FIG- URE anism on the opposed side thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, I have disclosed a machine for manufacturing simulated handw split shakes from machine-produced shingles which is indicated in its entirety by the numeral 20 and includes three major interrelated portions, i.e., a feeding table 21, a conveyor 22, and a scoring device 23.

The feeding table 21 comprises a planar upwardly biased plate or follower 24 which is hingedly pivoted at 25 on a horizontal axis extending laterally of the apparatus 20. It will be noted that the follower 24 has an arm 26 to which a tension spring 27 is secured, the opposed end of which is fastened at 28 to a portion of the frame 29, thus providing for the upward bias to the follower 24. v

A link 30 is pivoted at 31 to the follower 24 and is provided with a depressible footplate 32 which when stepped upon will cause the follower to lower while flexing the spring 27. The operator may then place a stack S of shingles S on the follower 24 in such a manner that .the

plural side face planes are coincident to the axis 25 of the follower hinge. In this way the butt end portions, that is,

the thicker portions are all extending in the same direction while the thin end portions are all extending in the opposed direction. By this means it will be seen that the upper plane surface of the uppermost shingle S will alv ways be disposed on the horizontal plane which passes through the axis of the pivot point 25. A stop 33 extends laterally of the apparatus 20 and terminates at its lower. edge on the horizontal plane coincident to the axis 25 and' is disposed above the stack S of shinglesS so that the upward movement of the follower 24 is limited thereby.

Means 34 are provided to successively slide the upper conveyor 22. This means comprises a tubular body 35 with; in which is telescopically received a cylindrical rod 36: having a pressure foot 37 secured to its lowerend. A

longitudinally extending slot 38 is formed through the body 35 and a stop pin '39 extends through said slot and most shingle S butt first from the stack S into the is rigidly secured to the rod 36, thus forming a stop to restrict movement of the rod 36 within predetermined limits axially of said body. The stop pin '39 slides upon the lift arm 39' and drops off the end thereof to drive:

the barbs 37' into the surface of each successive shingle to insure positive driving connection therewith.

A spring 40 constitutes resilient means which bears. against the end of rod 36 and biases it outwardly of the, body 35. A plug 41 is disposed in the opposed end of the body 35 to retain the spring 40. On its lower face the pressure foot 37 is provided with barbs 37', the pur-.

pose of which is to penetrate into the surface of the uppermost shingle S so that the feeding means may impartsliding movement to the shingle S with respect to the stack S. The barbs may be arranged in a unique fashion to brand the shakes if desired.

Perpendicular to the body 35 is a spindle 42 which is' journaled in a bearing 43 carried by theframe 29. .It will thus be seen thatthe means 34 may be rotated coun terclockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2, and each revolution will impart movement to the succeeding shingles S disposed on the top of the stack S. As the means 34 is actuated from the full line position to the broken line position as seen in FIGURE Z, the uppermost shingle S is moved from the full line position to the broken'line position thereof, thus causing the butt end portion to enter between the upper and lower rollers 44 and 45. The rollers 44 and 45 may be of any desired material but I have found operate satisfactorily with the lower rollers 45 being of metal while the upper rollers 44 are formed of rubber.

As seen particularly in FIGURES and 6, the upper rollers 44 have shafts 46 which are journaled in journal blocks 47 vertically slidable upon guideposts 48 carried by the frame 29 so that the rollers'44'may spread from rollers 45 against the tension of springs 50 to admit the butt end portions of the shingles 'S, and the springs 50 will provide for compensating movement of the rollers toward each other as the shingles S pass therethrou'gh while the rollers traverse the length of the shingles from the thick 'butt end portions to the thin end' portions thereof. Rollers 45 are journaled on bearings 45 carried by the frame 29.

Supporting plates 51 may be disposed intermediate the rollers to support the advancing butt end portion of the shinglesif desired. i l

i As will be hereinafter described, each of the rollers 44 and 45 is rotated by power in the direction indicated by the arrows 52 and 53.

At the discharge end of the conveyor 22, I provide a timing mechanism or stop 54, the purpose of which is to properly space the shingles S one from the other as they pass through the scoring device 23.

Immediately following the stop 54 is a powered drive roller 55 which cooperates with a pressure bar 56 disposed thereunder. The drive roller 55 is rigidly fixed to a powered rotating shaft 57 journaled in bearings 58 supported on the upper ends of push rods 59 (FIGURES 8 and 9) slidably carried in guides 82 supported on the frame 29 to permit rectilinear movement of the push rods 59. It will be noted that a crossbar 60 is rigidly carried by the housings of the bearings 58 so that the crossbar 60 will raise and lower with the drive roller 55.

At their lower ends each push rod 59 is provided with a cam follower 61 which is disposed to be operated by a cam 62 carried by a laterally extending shaft 63 which rotates in the direction of the arrow 64. It will be seen by comparing FIGURES 2 and 8 that as the shaft 63 rotates and the cam 62 raises the push rods 59, the driving roller 55 as well as the crossbar 60 will be raised which in turn will raise the timing stop 54 to clear the butt end of the shingle S. Rotation of the rollers 44 and 45 will thus cause the shingle to move rightwardly as viewed in FIGURE 2 until the butt end portion thereof extends under the drive roller 55 and over the support plate 56, whereupon the cam 62 will release the push rod 59 and cause the drive roller 55 and stop 54 to lower.

The stop 54 (FIGURE 7) is merely a headed pin which is freely slidable in the sleeve 60' which is an integral po rtion of the crossbar 60 so that when it comes down upon the top surface of the shingle S it may slide upwardly through the sleeve 60' and thus will not hold the drive roller 55 away from the upper surface of the shingle S. It will be noted that the drive roller is segmented and has plural teeth so that the shingle S may be driven thereby without any danger of its slipping.

Following the drive roller 55 on the lower side of a shingle S, I provide a rapidly rotating planer head 65 which has one or more serrated knives 66 therein. As it rotates in the direction of the arrow 68, the serrations of the knife score the bottom face or weather portion of the shingle S (that is, the butt end portion of the shingle S' which will be disposed to the weather when the simulated anemone shake is applied to the wall of a building). After passing the score head 65 a sufiicient distance, the butt end of the shingle S strikes a deflecting plate '67 which bends or deflects the shingle intermediate its ends away from the rotating head 65 and yet maintains it in scoring relationship therewith. However, when the thin. or feather edge of the shingle passes the drive roller 55, the natural resiliency of the shingle S, upon beingf'rel'eased by the drive roller 55, causes it to snap or spring away from the scoring head 65 so that the serrations formed by the serrated knives 66 terminate short of the extreme feather edge portion. In actual'practice; the springing or snapping movement of the shingle S is'sufiicient to. cause it to pivot over the shingle support 70 and onto a subsequent gravity operated conveyor (not shown) which carries the simulated shake away. i 7' An independent source of power such as motor 71 by means of the chain or belt power transmission 72 effects rapid rotation of the scoring device 23 while the major power source such as motor 73' drives an endless chain 7 4 which in serpentine fashion meshes with the sprockets 75 of the rollers 44 and 45 as'shown in FIGURE 11, and the idler sprockets 76 maintain the chain in proper relationship to the several sprockets. 'The' idler sprockets 76 are also yieldably mounted to compensate for the difference in chain length required as the rollers 44 are forced upwardly by the butt end portionof'the shingle S. A second chain 77 is driven by the motor-'73 which rotates in the direction of the arrow 78 and drives the shaft 63 which in turn is connected by the transmission chain to the shaft 57 of the'drive roller 55. The'advancing or feeding device or'means '34' is driven by a chain 81 powered by shaft 63. i

A tensioning idler pulley or sprocket 80. provides sufficient tension in the chain 79 and yet yieldably permits vertical movement of the drive roller 55 as particularly seen in FIGURE 10 of the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the'Unit'ed States the following:

l. The process of scoring the butt-end portion only of a tapered machine shake which comprises effecting buttfirst movement of a shake in scoring relationship to a scoring tool; flexing said shake intermediate its ends to bias it away from said scoring device while maintaining scoring contact therewith; and at a predetermined point in dva e of Said b ne e ele sin th t e p n of ai 's ke wher by o e ec rap d m e t of the thin end portion of said shake away from said scoring device.

2. The process of successively scoring the butt-end portions only of plural tapered machine'shake's which comprises etfecting butt-first movement of successive shakes in scoring relationship "to ascor-ing tool; flexing each said shake away from said scoring device while maintaining scoring contact therewith; and with the scoring device at a predetermined point along the length of said shake releasing said sliakefwhereby the resiliency of said shake effects rapid movement of the thin'endportioh of said shake away from said scoring device;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

